Pride (Living In Sin #1)

Chapter 1

Alec

It never got any easier, really. This whole 'being an adult' thing. I didn't really have a handle on it, even at twenty five. And you couldn't half tell either.

The most expensive thing I owned was a little flat screen TV, and even that thing was second hand. I couldn't hold down a job for longer than a few weeks, so pay cheques were gone within days. Thankfully, owning nothing meant I got by with little to no debt. The bad news? Not holding down a job made me a 'slacker' in my family's eyes and they'd kicked me out years ago.

Couch surfing had been my life since then. And while it had worked out so far, it certainly wasn't anything I was proud of.

"Look, Alec, I've known you since high school, man."

Looking across at Max, it didn't take a rocket scientist to work out what was going on. I'd only been here three months, since I'd overstayed my welcome at the last place. He had a nice, if small, apartment in the middle of the city. Not to mention the full-time chef's position. I earned my limited keep by making sure Max’s home wastidy for him and doing the odd job here and there.

It wasn’t a lot, but at least I could do something for him. I felt better that I could contribute at least something. And I wasn’t just playing video games all day. That would have made me the slacker everyone seemed to think I was.

It wasn't much of a spot to stay; just use of the couch and his wifi to hunt around for non-existent jobs that I probably wouldn't stick to. But at least it was something. I was getting a feeling that it wouldn't be my place for much longer. Again, I was grateful that everything I had fit in two duffel bags. That way, I could be out fast. Once I knew where I was going.

"It's just that Evette is looking at moving in soon. You understand, right, man?"

Apparently, Max wasn't very good with confrontation. He wasn’t even able to actively kick me out. But I could read between the lines enough. "It's all good, mate," I managed, trying to think if there was anywhere I could stay. I was drawing a blank, but maybe there was someone on my phone I could hound. "When did you need me out?"

He flinched, and I knew the answer was going to be less than ideal. I wouldn’t complain. "Well, by Saturday. Evette's moving in on Sunday."

Four days. Not really the time frame I'd hoped for. Still, I managed a smile for him. One did not burn bridges that didn't need to be burned. Who knew where either of us might be in six months. I might need to crash here again at some point? If I caused him to feel bad now, Max might be hesitant to help me out later.

"It's all good, Max," I repeated. It looked like he'd needed to hear it again as his shoulders slumped a little in obvious relief. He was a nice guy, really; it was just a bummer there wasn't a lot of room and a girlfriend who wanted to make a serious go of it. Evette was nice enough, from the few times I’d met her. But no one wanted their boyfriend’s school mate sleeping on the couch.

"You get to work. I'll clean up and figure something out."

Hopefully. Four days was not a lot of time to figure out the rest of my life, but it wouldn't be the first time I'd done it.